The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies contracted
with IHS Inc. to use the Health Workforce Simulation Model and the Healthcare
Demand Microsimulation Model to develop supply and demand projections for
nurses in Texas. The projections developed by these models apply state-level
data sources as inputs when available to enhance the accuracy of the
projections.
The HWSM uses a microsimulation approach that models the
likely career choices of individual nurses in Texas to project what supply
might look like annually through 2030. The HWSM starts with the current supply
of nurses from Texas’ licensure files and models new nurses entering the
workforce, nurses leaving the workforce, and workforce participation patterns
as the demographics of the nursing workforce change over time.
The HDMM models demand for health care services and
providers and includes 3 major components 1.) characteristics of each person in
a representative sample of current and future population, 2.) health care use
patterns that relate to patient characteristics, and 3.) staffing patterns that
translate to demand for services. In this model, demand is defined as “the
level and mix of health care services (and providers) that are likely to be
used based on population characteristics and economic considerations such as
price of services and people’s ability and willingness to pay for services.”
These projections are meant to be used as a planning tool
for adequately preparing the future workforce to meet the needs of the Texas
population. However, predicting future supply of and demand for nurses is a
challenging quest. There are many factors that can influence either supply of
or demand for nurses. It is important to keep in mind what the impact will be
on demand for health care providers as more people gain health care coverage,
as the way people use health care services evolves, as the way health care
services are delivered transforms, and as disease prevalence and acuity
changes. Likewise, there are a number of factors that can impact supply, such
as ability to draw nurses to the workforce and train them in adequate numbers,
and improvements or declines in the economic climate that may drive retirement
patterns. There are also factors worth considering that extend beyond just
numbers such as such ensuring diversity in the workforce in order to deliver
culturally competent care and the geographical distribution of not just nurses
but the right combination of nurses to meet demand for needed specializations
and skillsets.